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Welcome to the latest edition of The Frontline!
A regular dispatch delivering intel, insights, and highlights from the Silicon Foundry global community and collective of professionals.
In this edition, we'll look back at a year of acceleration and the signals shaping what comes next, we'll welcome new integral members of our team, focusing on strategic scaling and navigating the forefront of the AI revolution, exploring the next frontier of industrial automation, and how leaders in the venture ecosystem can spot architectural change before it shows up in the data.
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As we closed out 2025, we reflected on how the last year was defined by the acceleration of enterprise AI, SiF’s global expansion, and how global convenings helped leaders turn innovation into measurable outcomes. We also share our firm’s outlook for 2026, and how we will continue to support our Members as they move from experimentation to deployment |
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With business landscapes growing more volatile and supply lines constantly shifting, traditional supplier strategies are no longer enough. In a recent article, Kearney's PERLab highlights an effective approach pairing supplier innovation with collaborative cost reduction to deliver measurable results called supplier value creation. Now, companies can shorten the gap between ideation and execution, transforming supplier relationships into strategic drivers of performance. |
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We're pleased to introduce Alok K. Agrawal, who has joined our team as a Venture Partner. As the former Chief Strategy Officer at Celestica, Alok brings broad expertise spanning strategy and finance across global markets. At Silicon Foundry, Alok will be an integral addition, supporting companies as they navigate scaling, M&A, and the adoption of frontier technologies from early validation through global deployment. |
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How is the future of infrastructure being innovated and modernized? Mytra CEO Chris Walti shares the origins of Mytra and why legacy material flow systems can’t keep up with today’s software-driven world. Drawing on experience from Tesla and beyond, he explains how Mytra bridges the gap between advanced automation and rigid supply chains to unlock flexibility, resilience, and scale, pointing toward a more adaptive future for industrial infrastructure. |
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Architectural shifts often appear in the venture ecosystem years before they show up in market data. Alok K. Agrawal explains how early-stage companies, founder activity, and investor focus reveal where value and control are migrating—and why most corporate innovation programs fail to capture these signals. He shares how leaders can turn ecosystem insights into actionable strategy and a competitive advantage. |
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A spotlight on
Our Offerings
at Silicon Foundry, featuring a Q&A series focusing on top insights and an in-depth look into our full suite of services. |
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Over the years, SiF has expanded our Offerings to support the distinct needs of corporates, CVCs, and startups. SiF Managing Director Eli Promisel discusses Executive Treks, a series of curated and immersive programs tailored for executives to connect with innovators. The discussion explores how Executive Treks enable executives to cut through noise, gain exposure to emerging technologies and business models, and build trusted relationships with founders and operators. |
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Global industry events that our team will be at in the months ahead. Drop us a line to get the inside scoop, hear what we've learned and/or to get together if you will also be at one of these upcoming events! |
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February 9-11th
Las Vegas, NV |
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March 23-27th
Houston, TX |
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March 16-19th
San Jose, CA |
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March 24-26th
Monterey, CA |
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Recent headlines that caught our attention, related to corporate innovation activities, adoption of new technologies, venture investing trends, and key announcements from across our community of partners and members. |
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Corporate investment in startups have reached an all-time high in 2025, with corporations participating in roughly one in five global funding rounds. AI-driven deals led much of the activity, underscoring how corporate venture has become a core, strategic pillar of the startup ecosystem rather than a cyclical add-on. (GCV) |
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Silicon Valley Bank concludes that in 2025, healthcare investors became more selective, focusing on fundamentals and clinical validation. Moreover, AI-driven drug development drew massive investment, while overall VC activity slowed. M&A remained the primary path for exits.(Silicon Valley Bank) |
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By the end of 2025, the M&A deals for unicorns had reached historic highs, reaching a total value of $67 billion. Notable exits include Google's $32 billion acquisition of Wiz along with deals for Dunamu, Chronosphere, and Celestial AI. Looking into 2026, IPOs will continue to rebound, with strong interest in upcoming listings from major private firms. (Crunchbase) |
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As electrification and digitalization accelerate, demand for critical minerals is outpacing supply, exposing vulnerabilities across EVS and data centers. This World Economic Forum–Kearney paper maps key mineral dependencies, identifies supply-chain risks, and outlines collaborative strategies to build resilience through diversification and circularity. (WEF) |
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Silicon Foundry is an innovation advisory firm that catalyzes opportunities and accelerates change to push the frontier of what’s possible. |
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